I tried a Calotropsis too and it perished even here in zone 8b/9a.
I don't do many veges either. I do tomatoes in my greenhouse in the summer, they're about the only thing that will survive my greenhouse in summer. And I have grown some from seed. Honestly we like romas and grape tomatoes, which are easy to find at any garden center. I've tried melons, no luck; pumpkins, no luck, and what does grow gets eaten by the deer
. I'm a flower gardener, and there are plenty the deer won't eat!
And David, I'm doing a banyan tree bonsai!
